Today’s headlines: Huge wind farm produces power, DOE lists ​‘retained’ Biden-era awards, and more

This roundup of U.S. energy news headlines is part of our Canary Media Daily newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

CLEAN ENERGY

• The largest renewable energy project ever built in the U.S. — the 3.5-GW SunZia Wind in New Mexico — has reportedly begun sending power to California as it tests its turbines before starting commercial operations later this quarter. (E&E News)

• The U.S. hit 10 GW of cumulative community solar installations in late 2025, even as the market contracted last year, a recently released report finds. (Wood Mackenzie)

FEDERAL POLICY

• The Department of Energy sends Congress a list of nearly 2,000 Biden-era awards that the agency plans to ​“retain or modify,” including those for projects like some hydrogen hubs that had been considered for termination. (E&E News, Latitude Media)

• The Interior Department blows past a March 24 deadline to report its progress on energy projects to Congress, as wind and solar developers call the agency out for causing significant permitting delays. (NOTUS)

• A newly uncovered Interior Department document indicates the administration plans to tap the Judgment Fund — a pot of public money typically intended to help agencies cover legal settlements — to pay TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion to abandon two offshore wind leases. (Heatmap)

DATA CENTERS

• The U.S. Energy Information Administration plans to implement a mandatory nationwide survey of data centers’ energy use, according to a letter from the agency to two senators. (Wired)

TRANSMISSION

• Colorado lawmakers pass legislation requiring regulated utilities to routinely assess how advanced grid-enhancing tech can increase the system’s efficiency, reduce wildfire risk, and help bring new generation online faster. (Utility Dive)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will hold a call with top U.S. oil companies today, on which they will reportedly urge the firms to ramp up drilling as a way to lower prices. (E&E News)

CLIMATE

• A federal judge dismisses a Trump administration lawsuit attempting to halt Hawaii from suing fossil fuel companies in state court over climate change. (Reuters)

• Scientists warn that the climate change-induced collapse of a critical Atlantic current system is more likely than previously thought. (Guardian)